Former Anchorage mayoral candidate Popp wins contract to develop LaFrance’s ‘economic agenda’

Former Anchorage mayoral candidate and economic development official Bill Popp has won a no-bid contract to work on implementing Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s economic agenda.

LaFrance is asking the Anchorage Assembly to approve a $52,500 contract with Popp, who was one of several rival candidates she handily beat in the regular city election last year. Assembly approval is required for any such sole-source contracts that cost more than $30,000.

Popp, who finished third in the mayoral race, later endorsed LaFrance during the runoff election that followed, when she clinched a win over incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson.

While on the campaign trail competing for the same job, Popp and LaFrance “had great conversations,” talking about the city’s challenges, comparing notes and debating on stage and off, Popp said.

“I gave my endorsement freely and willingly without any expectation of quid pro quo,” Popp said.

While the city is generally required to put contracts out for competitive bid, it can — in some cases — sole-source a contract with a specific entity.

In this instance, Popp is “being brought on to add critical, unique capacity to the work already being done,” the mayor’s office said. His contract, if approved, will run through Aug. 8.

“Mr. Popp’s relationships and record of economic development make him the most qualified person to take on this work,” the mayor’s office said in response to questions from the Daily News.

Popp retired in 2022 after 16 years as president and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit that publishes economic reports and advocates for business- and industry-friendly policies in the municipality and Southcentral Alaska. The organization’s regular luncheons for the business community put Popp in front of many local leaders. Before his work in Anchorage, Popp spent six years as a member of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, and served as its chair for a time.

In his role for LaFrance, Popp will work with the mayor’s policy director, Nolan Klouda, former executive director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development. Popp will also work closely with the local business community to find “tangible solutions to current challenges” and to drive key economic development initiatives, the mayor’s office said.

LaFrance’s economic agenda focuses on increasing housing and other development, reducing public safety impacts to businesses, enhancing workforce development, and investment in Anchorage’s future, the mayor’s office said.

In the statement, the mayor’s office pointed to a difficult transition to office and said widespread issues necessitate bringing on Popp as additional firepower for City Hall’s team.

A transition report from the Bronson administration in June described crippling problems with vacancies and staff recruitment, as well as failing vehicles, equipment and software.

“Much of the day-to-day these first six months has been focused on getting the municipality out of crisis mode — from staffing up to tackling big, inherited challenges around homelessness and public safety. At the same time, we need to be pushing forward on a strong vision for economic growth and development,” the mayor’s office said.

After the election, Popp joined LaFrance’s transition team as one of several community leaders who gathered ideas and information about the city’s challenges with dozens of other residents.

A major focus of LaFrance’s agenda is housing, outlined in a strategy that calls for creating 10,000 new or rehabilitated units in 10 years.

“I love big, hairy, audacious goals,” Popp said.

In the past, other Anchorage mayors have contracted directly with favored advisers, under varying purposes and circumstances.

Bronson, for example, hired local political veteran Larry Baker as a consultant via multiple, back-to-back sole-source contracts. That practice came under scrutiny when Bronson’s fired city manager, Amy Demboski, accused Bronson of violating city contracting law by using several small contracts to skirt Assembly approval requirements.